


Rey of Light

by orphan_account



Category: Star Wars
Genre: Ben Solo - Freeform, F/M, I'm not good at titles tbh, Platonic Relationship, Rated m in case I continue, may change - Freeform, younger rey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-16
Updated: 2016-01-16
Packaged: 2018-05-14 06:44:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5733391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Though Ben is facing the toughest challenge he's ever encountered, he always has one reminder of the light.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rey of Light

Ben sat down heavily with his tray, sighing as he began picking at the food in front of him. He recalled the previous events of the day ruefully. Again, he hadn't been good enough, hadn't been _pure_ enough, and was still slipping up in his training. Master Luke was less than pleased, to say the least.  
Another tray clattered down in front of his. He knew who it was immediately. It's not like many people talk to me on a daily basis, he thought ruefully. "Hi, Ben!" A cheerful voice chirped.  
"Hey, Rey," he replied, not looking at her.   
The small girl immediately began chattering at him about her day, and he hardly listened as she went on about the most random things—as of this moment, it was wanting to keep a small flower in a pot. He watched her as she spoke, zoned out and deep in thought. "Master Luke says 'material possessions are not important'," she said, furrowing her brow and making her voice as deep as she could to imitate him, "But I would take care of it. I think it would be nice. Don't you, Ben?"  
"I can't believe my best friend is eight years old. Half my age," he said to no one in particular.  
"I KNOW, RIGHT?" She practically yelled, banging her small fists on the table for emphasis and snapping him out of his daze. "I get to be your best friend, isn't that cool?" He couldn't help but smile at that.  
He ruffled her hair, earning a wrinkled up face as she stuck her tongue out at him. "Thanks, Rey."   
He ate his meal in comfortable silence. That is, until he noticed she was staring at him. He looked at her, wordlessly.  
She stared back, peering at him as she sipped at her juice box.  
He returned her thoughtful gaze until finally, she set down her juice box, eyes never leaving his, and said plainly, "Something's up."  
He raised an eyebrow in question. "And what could that be?"  
She frowned. "You're upset. I don't know why."  
He sighed, smiling at her sadly. She couldn't understand yet, and he didn't want to bother her with this. "I'll be fine, Rey. Don't worry about me."  
Of course, Rey took that as her cue to worry about it. She narrowed her eyes at him, looking suspicious. "Did someone say something about your ears again?" She reached up and stretched as far as she could across the table to tug on his ears playfully.   
"No, it's nothing like—"  
"I'll beat them up!" She yelled defiantly. She had her legs up on her chair, attempting to crawl onto the table. _Uh oh_. Last time she stood on the table, it was an embarrassing scene. He lifted her up and off the table with ease. But of course, she felt her point had not been made quite yet. "I can take them on! Just watch them try something like that again!" She shouted. By now, heads were turning their way. Ben, now turning slightly red at the attention she was drawing, was trying hard to stifle his laughter.  
"I know you could take anyone on, Rey," he assured her in an attempt to calm her.  
"Anyone!" She jabbed a finger his way, in case he still didn't get it.  
He nodded as she settled back into her chair. "Uh huh."  
"And don't you forget it!"

Over the course of the next few months, Ben struggled in silence. He fought a battle like none he'd fought before. The force was a powerful thing, and every day, he heard a voice calling him away from the light. It latched on to the pain, the abandonment, the frustration and anger. These feelings towards Master Luke, who he was never good enough for. Towards his father and his mother, who's cold face stared at him in disappointed as she and Ben's father shipped him away. These harbored emotions were almost enough to push him past the breaking point. Sometimes, he wondered if he was already there, on the nights he would spend fighting back tears alone in his room, desperately forcing down the emotions threatening to spill over. He'd cry out in agony as something inside him used his pain against him, relentlessly pushing, refusing to give up until it had driven the light out of him.  
And then, he'd hear a soft knock at his door. He'd open it, sniffling and puffy-eyed, and there would stand the small form of the one thing reminding him of the goodness in the light. Rey would wrap her arms around him silently, not speaking until he did. She was so pure, light practically radiating off of her. Rey didn't understand— _couldn't_ understand—the war that raged on in Ben's mind. But she knew that he was hurting, and every time, she would go to him. She tethered him, kept him sane. And every time she clung to him and told him it would be alright, for that much longer, he knew he could resist the darkness.


End file.
